Twice baked butternut squash

Yum!! I made this for cooking club last night and it was very tasty! It will be the perfect fall dish, although I didn't mid having it in the summer! It was super easy too and I don't think too bad for you since it is squash and quinoa....and of course some Gorgonzola cheese too. :)


Twice Baked Butternut Squash (with quinoa and gorgonzola)
4.0 from 1 reviews
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Recipe type: vegetarian main courseAuthor: Erin AldersonPrep time: 20 mins Cook time: 75 mins Total time: 1 hour 35 mins Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 large butternut squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium shallots
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese, plus extra for topping
pinch of salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400˚. Slice butternut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Place each half cut side down in a 9×13 pan and pour 1/2″ of water in the bottom. Place in oven and bake until tender, about 45-60 minutes. Once done, remove and set aside.
Rinse quinoa and set aside. In a medium pan heat olive oil over medium low heat. Dice shallots, add to oil, and saute until shallots are fragrant. Stir in quinoa and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer at let cook until water is absorbed, 12-15 minutes.
While quinoa cooks, scoop out butternut squash, leaving a 1/4″-1/2″ on the sides and bottom. Drain water from pan and return butternut squash to the pan, cut side up.
Mash butternut squash and stir in gorgonzola cheese. Once quinoa is done, add it to the butternut squash. Taste and add salt if need be.
Scoop filling evenly into butternut squash halves. Sprinkle with gorgonzola cheese and return to oven. Let bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese has melted and the tops begin to brown. Remove from oven, cut eat half in half, and serve.
Evenly spread filling back into butternut squash
Notes
The butternut squash can be roasted the day before cutting out a good majority of the time it takes to make this!

Monkey cupcakes

Banana Cupcakes
Recipe from my dear friend Kari
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 nanners)
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

* Mix liquid ingredients first. Then add dry ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes

After they are cool, I add this to the top of them. You can add nuts if you want. I have added chocolate chips to them and they were delish!

Chocolate Glaze
1/2 c heavy cream
2 Tbs light corn syrup
1 1/2 c chocolate chips

Heat cream and corn syrup in a saucepan until mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat; add chocolate chips. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Glaze cupcakes with chocolate.

Mini vanilla wafers (halved)
Vanilla wafers (3/4ths)
Black and red decorating gel

Brussel Sprouts with bacon and walnuts

I made these for cooking club and they were very tasty! I will be making these again for sure .

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon walnut oil (or oil of your choice, or apple cider)
4 slices thick cut bacon
1 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and shredded (you can use the shredding blade on a food processor)
1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts
kosher salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, sugar, and oil; set aside.

In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon, cut or crumble into pieces, and set aside. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of drippings in pan (if there aren’t enough drippings to equal 2 tbsp, add a little butter or oil).

Heat drippings over medium-high then add shredded brussels sprouts. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until just tender. Remove from heat and stir in bacon, walnuts, and dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Servings: 4

Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

My dear friend, Kari, was sweet enough to share this recipe with me. I made these delicious cupcakes for my coworker's birthday as well. They are very light and fluffy and taste so much like banana bread. I plan to make them again for Izzy's Sock Monkey birthday party since our little monkey loves bananas. However, I am going to make a brown glaze and make a monkey face out of Vanilla wafers. Thank you Kari for sharing your tasty recipe! Thankfully I only have to wait a few more weeks before I get to have them again. :)

Banana Cupcakes
Recipe from my dear friend Kari

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 nanners)

1 cup milk

1 egg

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

 

* Mix liquid ingredients first. Then add dry ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes

 

After they are cool, I add this to the top of them. You can add nuts if you want. I have added chocolate chips to them and they were delish!

 

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 (8oz) cream cheese

1 stick of butter

4 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

(1/3 cup nuts optional)

 

*Mix cream cheese and butter until creamy.  Add sugar and vanilla. (Use milk instead to create a creamier texture.)

Birthday Party Popcorn!

I made this delicious snack for a coworker's birthday. It was so easy to make and it was very tasty! It was the perfect combination of salty and sweet. It is the perfect birthday snack, I just might have to make this for Izzy's first birthday party too!

 

Birthday Cake Popcorn
1 bag of popcorn, popped
8 ounces of white chocolate candy coating, melted (I used Almond Bark)
4 heaping teaspoons of yellow cake mix
Assorted sprinkles

*Optional-Mini M&M's

Pop popcorn and spread out on a paper towel, removing any kernels or burnt pieces, and place in a large bowl.

Melt white chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Stir in cake mix until smooth, then stir in about 3 teaspoons of sprinkles. Immediately pour over popcorn. Using a wooden spoon, mix the popcorn until completely coated. 

Pour out onto wax paper or into a wax-paper lined jelly roll pan and spread into a single layer. Sprinkle with sprinkles until festive, then let cool and harden. Break into pieces and enjoy!

Greek Quinoa Salad

Yummy! Another great summer grilling side dish that you won't feel guilty about consuming!

Ingredients
1cquinoa2cwater3tbspolive oil3⁄4cfresh lemon juice1tspdried oregano1clvgarlic, minced or pressed in a garlic press1⁄4ckalamata olives1bnscallions, chopped1ptgrape tomatoes, halved7ozsheep's milk feta cheese, cubed1⁄4cdiced red onion Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Place quinoa in a strainer and rinse under cold running water. Add water and quinoa to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook 15 minutes until quinoa is almost translucent. Spread cooked quinoa on a large dinner plate and place in freezer for 15 minutes to chill. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, and garlic. Toss with quinoa. Add olives, scallions, grape tomatoes, cheese, and red onion; gently mix ingredients. Season with salt and pepper and serve. Tip for Feta Cheese
Feta cheese may be too salty for some. To lower the sodium count, soak it in water overnight.

Salted carmel shortbread

Wow! These were fantastic! The flavor was amazing, which makes sense if you consider how much butter is in these bad boys. The perfect dessert for a special occasion or to bring to a party. They were very easy to make too!


Salted Caramel Shortbread
Recipe adapted from What's Gaby Cooking

For the shortbread layer:
10 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
1-2/3 cups flour

For the caramel:
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tsp sea salt, plus more for sprinkling on top
4 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp heavy cream
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

- Line an 8x8" pan with parchment paper, leaving some hanging over the sides to make removal easier.
- In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and salt with a pastry cutter or fork. Add the egg yolk and continue mixing.
- Add the flour and use your hands to combine the dough until coarse crumbs form. Transfer the dough into the prepared pan and press it down into one even layer.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 25 minutes, until slightly golden brown. Set aside to cool.
- For the caramel, combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, salt, sugar, and heavy cream. Bring to a boil and stir for about 5-10 minutes until caramel reaches the "soft ball stage" at around 230 degrees.
- Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla and pour caramel over the shortbread.
- Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, then sprinkle with sea salt and cut into squares. Store caramels in the fridge until you're ready to eat them.

Asparagus Orzo salad

Another yummy recipe from pinterest. This is the perfect summer salad, it was very refreshing.

Lemon Orzo Salad with Asparagus and Tomatoes
12 oz. orzo
1 bunch fresh asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 lemon, zested and juiced
4 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbs. fresh parsley, minced
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano*
Bring 2 large pots of water to boil. Add a big pinch of salt in each.
To one pot, add asparagus and blanch, about 2 to 3 minutes, depending on the thickness of your asparagus. Place blanched asparagus in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and keep them green.
To the second pot, add the orzo. Cook per package instructions. When tender, drain and place in a large bowl. Add blanched asparagus and tomato halves.
Mix olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Stir into orzo and vegetables. Stir in parsley and grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
This can be served warm, room temperature or cold.
*Note: If you want to keep this salad vegan, leave out the Parmigiano Reggiano.

Asparagus tart

I made this for Easter brunch today. It was very easy and tasty as well. Good old Martha Stewart always has go to recipes.

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Ingredients

Flour, for work surface
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
5 1/2 ounces (2 cups) Gruyere cheese, shredded
1 1/2 pounds medium or thick asparagus
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 16-by-10-inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score pastry dough 1 inch in from the edges to mark a rectangle. Using a fork, pierce dough inside the markings at 1/2-inch intervals. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.
Remove pastry shell from oven, and sprinkle with Gruyere. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise inside the tart shell; arrange in a single layer over Gruyere, alternating ends and tips. Brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until spears are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
Cook's Note

Store-bought puff pastry works well in this savory tart; thaw it according to package instructions. Emmentaler or Fontina cheese can be substituted for the Gruyere.

Cinnamon roll cake!

The name says it all...YUM! This was so easy to make and was so tasty! It was our nanny's birthday today so we made these for her to start her morning off right. It was killing me not to eat some before she did, but I waited until after work. It was worth the wait, yum! Just like cinnamon rolls, but softer!

Cinnamon Roll Cake
www.jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com
Time: 15 minutes hands on + 40 minutes to bake
Yield: 12 generous slices
Recipe from Picky Palate

CAKE:
3 C flour
1/4 t salt
1 C sugar
4 t baking powder
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
1 1/2 C milk
1/2 C butter, melted

CINNAMON FILLING:
1 C butter, softened
1 C brown sugar
2 T flour
1 T cinnamon

GLAZE:
2 C powdered sugar
5 T milk
1 t vanilla

1. Into your stand mixer, or large mixing bowl put 3 C flour, 1/4 t salt, 1 C sugar, 4 t baking powder, 2 eggs
and 2 t vanilla. Pour the 1 1/2 C milk over the other ingredients and mix well.
2. While the mixer is still running slowly add the 1/2 C melted butter. Mix just until combined.
3. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and spread the batter out evenly in the pan.
4. To make the cinnamon filling use a small bowl and a wooden spoon to combine 1 C softened butter, 1 C brown sugar, 2 T flour and 1 T cinnamon.
5. Drop the cinnamon filling by spoonfulls onto the cake batter.
6. Take a butter knife and drag it through both the cinnamon and cake batter layers, making a pretty marble effect.
7. Bake this baby at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. In a small mixing bowl whisk together 2 C powdered sugar, 5 T milk and 1 t vanilla. Pour the glaze over the warm cinnamon cake. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

Dill Pickle Dip

Pat loves his pickles, so when I saw this dip on Pinterest, I knew we had to try it. It was actually pretty tasty! It was super easy to make and would be the perfect appetizer to bring to a work potluck or to a party. I used low-fat cream cheese so it felt like it was good for us. :)

 

Dill Pickle Dip
recipe from Foodie with Family
1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1- 1 1/2 cups chopped dill pickles (I used my mini food processor - it was a snap!)
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion
2- 4 tablespoons pickle juice (use less for thicker dip or more for thinner dip)
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Use a wooden spoon to press into the cream cheese then stir until loosened up and smooth. Stir in all of the remaining ingredients until evenly distributed. Transfer to a serving dish and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

This dip is good for up to a week when stored tightly covered in the refrigerator. It may become thinner as the week draws to an end.

Beef stew

We had the perfect weather for beef stew the other day, rainy and dreary. This recipe was very tasty. I made a few adaptations to it, as I made it in the crockpot. I put everything in the crockpot and added quartered red potatoes. I also added a little beef stock to help everything get cooked in the crockpot. This was tasty and a recipe I'll use again. It was easy, delicious, and even Izzy liked it! :)

 

Old-Time Beef Stew 

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Ingredients

• 2 pounds stew beef
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1 or 2 bay leaves
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• Dash ground allspice or ground cloves
• 3 large carrots, sliced
• 3 ribs celery, chopped
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

Brown meat in hot oil. Add water, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, bay leaves, onion, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, and allspice. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves and garlic clove. Add carrots and celery. Cover and cook 30 to 40 minutes longer. To thicken gravy, remove 2 cups hot liquid. Using a separate bowl, combine 1/4 cup water and cornstarch until smooth. Mix with a little hot liquid and return mixture to pot. Stir and cook until bubbly.

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All Rights Reserved

Sweet Potato Burger

I had such high hopes for this recipe, especially after reading all of the comments saying how amazing it was, but it was only okay. It seemed to be a little bland, which is disappointing since we added a lot of different spices that the recipe didn't call for, as well as a lot of toppings. We didn't "deep fry" them like the recipe calls for, so maybe that would make a difference. Izzy will be enjoying the leftovers since it is all foods she enjoys. I don't know if I'd make them again, unless I came up with a really good spice/herb mix to make it more flavorful. I added basil and we served it with avocado and Dijon mustard. If you try it and find it tasty, please share with me what you did differently. I was bummed, as we love sweet potatoes.

 

Sweet Potato Veggie Burgersmakes 7-8 large patties

2 cans cannellini white beans, drained
1 large sweet potato, baked/peeled/mashed (about 2 cups)
2 Tbsp tahini
2 tsp maple or agave syrup
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning OR Cajun seasoning (or another fave spice!)
1/4 cup wheat flour
optional: additional seasoning (whatever you have on hand - I used a few dashes cayenne, black pepper and a scoop of nutritional yeast)
salt to taste if needed

plentiful Panko crumbs
safflower oil for pan

burgers: avocado, Dijon mustard, grain buns, romaine, onion, olive oil, pepper

Directions:

1. Bake sweet potato. Peel, place in large mixing bowl.
2. Add drained beans to mixing bowl. Mash beans and potato together.
3. Mash in seasoning, flour and any additional seasoning. Your mixture will be quite soft and moist. But you should be able to form a patty. Add more flour or a scoop of breadcrumbs - or dry rice to thicken the mixture if needed.
4. Heat 1 Tbsp safflower oil in a pan over high heat.
5. Form a patty from mixture and coat in Panko crumbs. Thick coating. Then drop the patty in the pan. Repeat until the pan is filled. Cook until browned on both sides. You could also bake. If baking, use less Panko.
6. Transfer cooked patties to paper towel. Cool for a few minutes.
7. Serve on toasted bun with lotsa toppings.

Quinoa with black beans and avocado

This was pretty tasty! I used regular quinoa, not red. I am not sure where you buy red quinoa. This was the perfect summer time salad. It was easy to make and will become a summer grilling stable side dish I am sure. I am always looking for new quinoa recipes and this one didn't disappoint. 

 

Ingredients
1 cup red quinoa ($1)
1 cup frozen diced green pepper ($.29)
1 cup frozen corn ($.29)
2 cups cooked black beans ($.40)
1/4 cup lime juice ($.10)
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped (free from the garden)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 avocado, diced ($1)
Directions

In a large skillet, saute the green pepper, corn and black beans.Once softened, add the lime juice and cilantro.In a saucepan, cook the red quinoa as directed on the package.Once cooked, mix the quinoa in with the sauteeing veggies.Dice up an avocado.Serve the avocado on top of the quinoa and veggies.

Read more: http://www.5dollardinners.com/2010/06/red-quinoa-avocado-black-beans-corn.html#ixzz1qddlutnY

Read more: http://www.5dollardinners.com/2010/06/red-quinoa-avocado-black-beans-corn.html#ixzz1qddZiL1x

Lemon garlic Spaghetti

I found this recipe on Pinterest. It was pretty good, a great summer salad. It would be good cold. I think I would put more lemon juice in it. We also used Quinoa pasta, so it may not have soaked up the lemon as much, but I like the taste better than regular pasta.

Lemon Garlic Spaghetti – serves 2

4 oz dry spaghetti
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 lemon
2 tbsp pine nuts
5-6 basil leaves, chiffonaded

First, start your garlic oil. Pour in olive oil and chopped up garlic into a small frying pan and let it cook over low, until the garlic starts to brown on edges. Immediately remove from heat and reserve.
While that's starting up, boil up some spaghetti.

Chiffonade some basil leaves. Here I have pathetically limpy basil leaves, but fresh is, as usual, the best. Then you take some cheese…Some pine nuts…

And dump it into a large bowl, with the garlic oil, garlic chunks and all. Squeeze in lemon juice. Throw in the spaghetti and toss until well combined. Plate, crack some black pepper on it, and nom.

Homemade Snickers Bars

I made these delicious snickers bars for a coworker's birthday today. They were very rich and very YUMMY! I was surprised at how easy they were to make. I will definitely be making these again, but only for a special occasion when others can help me consume them, as they are dangerous!

 

Homemade Snickers Bars

[recipe from Nikki, who lightly adapted it from and old Taste of Home recipe]
makes one 9×13 pan
bottom chocolate layer
1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter
Thoroughly grease you baking pan. Melt ingredients together in a saucepan or microwave, then pour into the baking dish and spread until even. Let cool and harden completely.
nougat layer
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cup salted peanuts chopped, roughly chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add in sugar and milk, stirring until dissolved and bring to a boil. Let cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in fluff, peanut butter and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Turn off heat and fold in peanuts, then pour over bottom chocolate layer. Let cool completely.
caramel layer
1 14-ounce bag of caramels
1/4 cup whipping cream
Combine ingredients in a saucepan over low heat. Let melt, stirring occasionally, until smooth – this took about 10 minutes for me. Pour over nougat layer and let cool completely.
Top chocolate layer
1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter
Melt ingredients together in a saucepan or microwave, then pour over caramel and spread until even. Let cool and
harden completely.
Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving, then cut as desired. These can stay at room temperature, but they do get gooey. I like them refrigerated best!

Cream Cheese Sausage Balls

Cream Cheese Sausage Balls
(Printable Recipe)
1 lb hot sausage, uncooked
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups Bisquick
4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400F.

Mix all ingredients until well combined. (I use my KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook attachment)  Roll into 1-inch balls.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until brown.

Sausage balls may be frozen uncooked.  If baking frozen, add a few minutes to the baking time.
 

English Muffin Bread

Well, the third time is a charm with this recipe. I found this recipe on Pinterest and was dying to try it. I was bound and determine to make this recipe work and not give up. It took THREE times to get it right. Here are some things I learned along the way, hopefully it will prevent you from making the same mistakes.

1. Make sure you use hot water (around 100 degrees) not BOILING water and kill the yeast like I did the first time.

2. Use RAPID RISE Yeast, do not use regular yeast. I was up until 11pm last night waiting for it to rise, no luck. I gave up and put them in the oven, only to discover that the bread wasn't really bread, more like a breadstick width.

3. Know that even with Rapid Rise yeast, it can still take a few hours to fully rise. Something they left out of the recipe directions.

Third time is a charm and this ended up being worth all of the hassle, time, and lack of sleep today at work. The best part is, it makes 4 loaves and was really easy to make. I ended up giving one to the neighbors, one to my sister, who so generously offered up her two loaf pans for me when I realized the recipe made four loaves, and one for us. Plus, one for the freezer for later use.

Recipe found here
5 1/2 cups warm water
3 packages RAPID RISE yeast
     (Update: You can use regular yeast, but you will need to let is rise TWICE. Once in the bowl, til it reaches the top...and then again in the pans, til it reaches the top. With the RAPID RISE you only need to let it rise once in the pans.)
2 Tablespoons salt
3 Tablespoons sugar
11 cups flour (I used bread flour....but my Mom always used All Purpose)

Mix altogether, let rise in bowl until double in bulk, then spoon into (4) well greased loaf pans.  Let rise in pans until dough reaches the top of the pan, and bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown. (My oven runs a little hot so I ended up cooking mine for a total of 35 minutes. Just keep an eye on it. You're looking for golden brown.) 10 minutes before done, brush with melted butter. Makes 4 loaves. Bread will be moist at first. Allow to COOL COMPLETELY before cutting. Makes terrific toast.

Red velvet cupcakes

Anna and I made these bad boys for Jess' going away party! They were very tasty and easy to make!

Red Velvet Cupcakes
From Annie eats
Yield: about 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cake:
2½ cups cake flour
1½ cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1½ cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp. (1 oz.) liquid red food coloring
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. distilled white vinegar

For the frosting:*
8 oz. cream cheese
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt; whisk to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar. Beat on medium speed until well blended. Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared liners. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Let cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired. (I used a large, unlabeled star tip to frost these cupcakes.)

*If you are big on frosting as I am, you may want to increase the quantities by 50%. That is what I typically do for a batch of 24 cupcakes. I usually end up with some left over, but I would rather have too much frosting than not enough!

Spicy Pumpkin Enchiladas

We made these tasty enchiladas tonight for dinner. They were good, but I think I expected more. I was thinking there would be a sweeter taste to it, but it was still pretty delicious. We added a little pumpkin pie spice and some jalapeños which made it Ben better!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Serves 4

Ingredients

Rotisserie chicken
6 scallions, thinly sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 jalapeno chile, quartered (remove ribs and seeds for less heat, if desired)
1 teaspoon chili powder
8 corn tortillas (6-inch)
1 1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese (6 ounces)
Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine chicken and scallions. Season generously with salt and pepper; set aside.
In a blender, puree pumpkin, garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, 2 1/2 cups water, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until smooth (hold top firmly as blender will be quite full). Pour 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of an 8-inch square (or other shallow 2-quart) baking dish.
Lay tortillas on work surface; mound chicken mixture on half of each tortilla, dividing evenly. Roll up tortillas; place, seam side down, in baking dish.
Pour remaining sauce on top; sprinkle with cheese. Place dish on a baking sheet; bake until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Santa Hats

I was asked to bring dessert to Christmas this year. I went with my favorite for the Holiday season, Pumpkin Cheesecake, but wanted to make something new and festive. I saw this idea on pinterest and had to give it a try. They were a hit and very yummy too. Just get some small brownies, or bake your own using a mini muffin tin, some frosting, and some strawberries.

Overnight Blueberry French Toast

I made this for Christmas Eve morning, it was delicious! I would add more fruit next time and make sure that all of the bread is fully soaked before baking it. It was very tasty and super easy to make. I forgot to take a picture, oops!

OVERNIGHT BLUEBERRY FRENCH TOAST
Found recipe on: Real Mom Kitchen

French Toast:

• 12 slices bread, cut into cubes (french or Texas toast work well.  I prefer Texas Toast.)
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cut in cubes
• 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 12 large eggs
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 2 cups milk (I use 1 cup milk and 1 cup cream)

Syrup:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 Tablespoon butter

1.  Arrange 1/2 of the bread cubes in a greased 9 x 13 pan.
2. Sprinkle cream cheese cubes and blueberries evenly over the bread cubes.
3. Top with remaining bread cubes.
4. Mix together eggs, milk, and syrup.
5. Pour over bread cubes and cover pan with foil. Let chill in refrigerator overnight.
6. Bake covered with foil at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes or until fluffy and golden. Top with sauce. Serves 8.